Ridgewood Dads' Night celebrates 70 years this weekend

By By Laura Herzog

Staff Writer |

The Ridgewood News

Whether it be frolicking with fellow fathers in summer shorts through a snow-covered field, sweating it out in a full-body Sesame Street costume, or wearing a dress, participants in the Dads' Night theatrical revue have had many opportunities to let loose and set their egos aside during the show's 70-year run.

But more importantly, the fathers of children at Somerville and Hawes elementary schools also have a special opportunity to make friends with other men and support their children's education. All this while hopefully making their children crack up laughing at skits that the fathers themselves write, direct and produce.

"The feeling of community that this gives fathers is unlike any that I have seen [elsewhere]," said Somerville Dads' Night Chairman Joe Mariniello, an eight-year participant.

Hawes Dads' Night Chairman Steve Angiolino, who is in his sixth year, added that, often, "there's baseball coaching and other sports-related activities that guys will get involved in, but there's not really a school-related activity."

There's just something special about the camaraderie built during Dads' Night, the fathers said - not least of all because talent is the exception, not the rule.

"Knowing you really don't have to be a talented person on stage ... it really does add to the camaraderie. If you go up and flub your lines, it's kind of all part of the show," Angiolino said.

This year, in honor of 70 years of creative work, fundraising and fraternity, the 253 participants will offer their '70s-themed show to the community for free this weekend, at 7 p.m. tonight and 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 8 in the Benjamin Franklin Middle School auditorium.

Because the show is free (donations are accepted), fundraising is largely through the sale of ads in the Dads' Night program, Mariniello said. The dads raise around $50,000 (half for Somerville and half for Hawes) to supplement the district's budget for the schools and finance scholarships given at the high school, he said.

Beyond several months of production and preparation, the one-weekend show becomes an ongoing experience and circle of support for participants, with additional fundraising events and bonding experiences year-round, including some Dads' Night reunions.

After the three-hour rehearsals on Thursday, the men will go out for drinks in Ridgewood, said 18-year member Sean McCooe, a father of five.

"I think it's an unusual program, because men, who may not have any reason to meet one another, [can] meet with the common bond of 'our children are in Somerville or Hawes,'" McCooe said. "You'll make friends forever, and it's a great way to engage with your community."

Because his daughter is finishing elementary school this year, McCooe will be "graduating" from Dads' Night as possibly the longest-running member ever in terms of consecutive years of participation.

To poke some fun at his "old age," the fathers have written him a part as the "grandfather" scout leader in a Boy Scout-themed sketch, noted McCooe, who attended Somerville in kindergarten in 1968 before transferring to Catholic school.

His favorite memory, McCooe noted, was dressing up in summer clothes in Ridgewood in the middle of winter to participate in the "Polar Bears 2" video, which was shown at a Dads' Night about 10 years ago.

In terms of the fun Dads' Night provides, not too much has changed over the years, according to longtime Ridgewood resident Dom Nizza, 92, who recalled being in the first Dads' Night at Somerville in the early 1950s. Though the event started in 1944 in the former Kennilworth School, Nizza said that when that school closed, the event resumed at Somerville and progressed to Hawes, because of the schools' proximity.

Nizza said he helped direct the show, participating with about 40 other fathers who engaged in sing-a-longs with the audience. The men also painted their own scenery, without much artistic training.

"That was a mess," he joked.

"Before you knew it, it started to grow," Nizza said. "We would have our own parties ... Those were fun times."

It was a family affair, he noted, and the same is true now. Mariniello and Angiolino emphasized that, through Dads' Night, they bond with their children as much as with fellow fathers.

For Angiolino, despite being "on the fence with it" his first year, and being on stage for only about 30 seconds, he got hooked after seeing his son's face light up during the show.

"He loved it so much," he said.

Mariniello echoed Angiolino's point. "It's one of the highlights of the year for [my kids]," he said.

Since their first participation, the fathers became more and more involved, eventually helping to direct the show. Involvement is flexible, based on work schedules, and the show can be whatever you make out of it, they said.

"You can either have a lead role and relive your high school drama days, or you can be a potted plant in the back of the stage," Mariniello said. "It's great for guys like that, too."

But being more actively involved has its benefits, he noted. Like, never having to wear a dress for a skit if you don't want to.

"I don't know how my son would have felt if I dressed up like Christina Aguilera," he said, chuckling. "You get that advantage when you write your own script."

Ridgewood Dads' Night celebrates 70 years this weekend

Whether it be frolicking with fellow fathers in summer shorts through a snow-covered field, sweating it out in a full-body Sesame Street costume, or wearing a dress, participants in the Dads' Night theatrical revue have had many opportunities to let loose and set their egos aside during the show's 70-year run.

But more importantly, the fathers of children at Somerville and Hawes elementary schools also have a special opportunity to make friends with other men and support their children's education. All this while hopefully making their children crack up laughing at skits that the fathers themselves write, direct and produce.

"The feeling of community that this gives fathers is unlike any that I have seen [elsewhere]," said Somerville Dads' Night Chairman Joe Mariniello, an eight-year participant.

Hawes Dads' Night Chairman Steve Angiolino, who is in his sixth year, added that, often, "there's baseball coaching and other sports-related activities that guys will get involved in, but there's not really a school-related activity."

There's just something special about the camaraderie built during Dads' Night, the fathers said - not least of all because talent is the exception, not the rule.

"Knowing you really don't have to be a talented person on stage ... it really does add to the camaraderie. If you go up and flub your lines, it's kind of all part of the show," Angiolino said.

This year, in honor of 70 years of creative work, fundraising and fraternity, the 253 participants will offer their '70s-themed show to the community for free this weekend, at 7 p.m. tonight and 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 8 in the Benjamin Franklin Middle School auditorium.

Because the show is free (donations are accepted), fundraising is largely through the sale of ads in the Dads' Night program, Mariniello said. The dads raise around $50,000 (half for Somerville and half for Hawes) to supplement the district's budget for the schools and finance scholarships given at the high school, he said.

Beyond several months of production and preparation, the one-weekend show becomes an ongoing experience and circle of support for participants, with additional fundraising events and bonding experiences year-round, including some Dads' Night reunions.

After the three-hour rehearsals on Thursday, the men will go out for drinks in Ridgewood, said 18-year member Sean McCooe, a father of five.

"I think it's an unusual program, because men, who may not have any reason to meet one another, [can] meet with the common bond of 'our children are in Somerville or Hawes,'" McCooe said. "You'll make friends forever, and it's a great way to engage with your community."

Because his daughter is finishing elementary school this year, McCooe will be "graduating" from Dads' Night as possibly the longest-running member ever in terms of consecutive years of participation.

To poke some fun at his "old age," the fathers have written him a part as the "grandfather" scout leader in a Boy Scout-themed sketch, noted McCooe, who attended Somerville in kindergarten in 1968 before transferring to Catholic school.

His favorite memory, McCooe noted, was dressing up in summer clothes in Ridgewood in the middle of winter to participate in the "Polar Bears 2" video, which was shown at a Dads' Night about 10 years ago.

In terms of the fun Dads' Night provides, not too much has changed over the years, according to longtime Ridgewood resident Dom Nizza, 92, who recalled being in the first Dads' Night at Somerville in the early 1950s. Though the event started in 1944 in the former Kennilworth School, Nizza said that when that school closed, the event resumed at Somerville and progressed to Hawes, because of the schools' proximity.

Nizza said he helped direct the show, participating with about 40 other fathers who engaged in sing-a-longs with the audience. The men also painted their own scenery, without much artistic training.

"That was a mess," he joked.

"Before you knew it, it started to grow," Nizza said. "We would have our own parties ... Those were fun times."

It was a family affair, he noted, and the same is true now. Mariniello and Angiolino emphasized that, through Dads' Night, they bond with their children as much as with fellow fathers.

For Angiolino, despite being "on the fence with it" his first year, and being on stage for only about 30 seconds, he got hooked after seeing his son's face light up during the show.